Jesus' Tomb Info.

Hey everyone,

Still enjoying vacation. I got an email from a friend and scholar Jim Darlack. He occasionally posits comments on the blog here. Typically you all yawn when he does, but I affirm his scholarship. Anyway, he sent me a great and helpful email regarding the Discovery Channel special on the "discovery" of Jesus tomb. My favorite part of the story is that they have matched DNA found in the tomb to be Jesus. Where did they get that sample??? Have fun reading below...
--Ben

Hello,

Unless you've been living in a cave for a few weeks, you've probably heard about the whole "Jesus family tomb" sensation in the news. In essence a team of scholars and scientists claim to have found the tomb of Jesus, son of Joseph, Jude the son of Jesus and Mariamne the wife of Jesus! (Yes, this all starting to sound like the DaVinci Code.) Anyway, I thought you might be interested in looking at a few "no nonsense" links to articles refuting the current media nonsense. Below are various blog responses to the whole "Jesus family tomb" sensation that's been in the news. Some of it may be a bit technical (e.g. full of scholarly jargon and other nonsense), but try to take a glance at a few. I highly recommend the first two posts by Ben Witherington.

Anyway the posts below are written by either "experts" or folks very familiar with biblical studies who have good reason to say that the whole "Jesus family tomb" sensation is hogwash. Not all of the scholars below are "conservative," so don't be too offended if they say something that seems off kilter. On the other hand if they're not conservative and they're saying that the "Jesus family tomb" is hogwash, then that's all the better. It shows that the problem is not with conservative Christians unable to accept any challenge to faith. Rather the problem is with poor scholarship on the part of the documentary producers James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici for the sake of sensationalist reporting!

• Ben Witherington (conservative New Testament scholar):
  http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/02/jesus-tomb-titanic-talpiot-tomb-theory.html
  http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/02/problems-multiple-for-jesus-tomb-theory.html
  
• Darrell Bock (conservative New Testament scholar):
  http://dev.bible.org/bock/node/106
  http://dev.bible.org/bock/node/107

• Richard Bauckham (moderate New Testament scholar) will be posting a guest blog at chrisendom, Chris Tilling's blog:
  http://www.christilling.de/blog/2007/02/bauckham-guest-post-tomorrow.html (not yet published [as of 2pm Feb 28], but keep an eye out for it - Bauckham's an expert when it comes to the statistics about people's names during Jesus' lifetime)

• Tyler Williams (moderate OT scholar) at Codex:
  http://biblical-studies.ca/blog (good posts with great links to other blogs)

• Mark Goodacre (moderate NT scholar):
  http://ntgateway.com/weblog/labels/Talpiot%20tomb.html (this is a link to all his posts on the Jesus family tomb)

• Jim Davila (moderate Early Judaism scholar):
  http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2007_02_25_paleojudaica_archive.html#117256772472454579 (more from Bauckham - Davila is at St. Andrews w. Bauckham)

• Rick Brannan (an employee at Logos Bible Software)
  http://www.supakoo.com/rick/ricoblog/2007/02/26/MoreOnTheJesusFamilyTombEspeciallyOnTheInscriptions.aspx

• Michael Heiser (resident OT scholar at Logos Bible Software).
  http://www.michaelsheiser.com/ (note the link on the left of the screen to an academic paper he presented [VERY TECHNICAL])

Jim

Off

I remember several years ago when I was just starting out in ministry I had a conversation with a friend regarding work and such. He is a banker, and was talking to me about when he could come down for a visit. He had already been on several trips that I knew of, so I asked him how much vacation time he had. It seemed like he had vacation as often as he worked. He told me he had 8 weeks vacation. 8 WEEKS!?!

I wondered how anyone could accomplish anything taking 8 weeks off a year. That's 2 weeks in 13. He told me that he was glad the conversation had come up because he had some concerns about my work schedule. He said that there had been studies on the effectiveness of executives who worked various amounts of time per week, and that executives that worked more than 55 hours a week worked at lower productivity levels than those who limited there work to less than 55 hours. He also asked me when my vacations were scheduled because they were an important part of regenerating my self for the work ahead. At the time I had no vacations scheduled.

It was not long after that my father began asking me when my vacations were scheduled. (There's a saying about a kettle and a pot, but I won't go there.) Again, I didn't have any scheduled, and the first time he asked I remember thinking, "Who has time for a vacation." But the final nail for me was when a friend of mine in ministry mentioned that I was coming up on a third week of vacation based on my tenure. It made me wonder how much time he got for vacation because he had been at the church he was pastoring for over 15 years. I wondered because he rarely took vacation time.

That's when something changed inside me. It's easy for someone like me to get sucked into the schedule. But I determined to prioritize time off. I set my vacation times at the beginning of the year, and I try to stick by them. This week for instance I'm off. I'm learning some tough lessons, but they're ones I want to confront and deal with better. Here are my thoughts:

1. It's hard to take vacation when you don't have any money for vacation.

I tend to think of vacation as going away. But going away requires money, and that's not something Corie and I have at the moment. So this week I'm off at home. It doesn't feel like vacation, but I'm taking care of odd and ends that I put off in the course of a normal work week.

2. It's hard to take vacation at home when you work from home.

My office is in our home so it's very tempting to do little things here and there. This blog for instance, but this is more for fun than work (these are little things I tell myself). Anyways, I'll try to limit it to one post a day. I'm checking email, please pray for me to overcome some of the residual effects of work. Nonetheless, I'm taking naps each day to rest and catch up.

3. It's hard to take vacation when you don't plan well for it at work.

Because of #1 I had a hard time really believing I was going to be off this week. So I didn't plan well for it. Oh, I don't have to teach on Sunday, nor do I have to do follow-up or any of my normal routine, but I didn't plan well for the OT meeting last night, leaving Matt to carry the load, and I will be leading my small group Thursday which I look forward to, yet adding another clause to this sentence may make it the longest run-on sentence I've ever written...
Anyway. I need to plan better in the future.

So those are my lessons, perhaps you can help me learn. Does the collective wisdom of the blogosphere have insight that I might gain from?

--Ben

The Symposium

The symposium that I was invited to on Thursday was to hear the Chairmen and former CEO of Pepsico (the parent company of Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Fito-Lay, Aquafina, Taco Bell, etc.). Steve Reinemund is a graduate of the Naval Academy, and has had a stellar carreer in Pepsico. He was promoted from Chief Exec over Pizza Hut to his post as Exec for all of Pepsico. He is approaching retirement now and has been written well of in the business community regarding the succession plan that he put in place to replace himself.

He acknowleged that he didn't speak much out of the company, and that became obvious when he started speaking. He seemed quite uncomfortable, and a bit disjointed in his delivery. But overall he had a very good address referring to his beliefs regarding integrity as the foundation of business, decision making by what he called his "true-north" (faith), and the role of Business in society.

The most reflective moment I had was when I realized sitting amongst a group of 250 business executives what a different worldview was represented just by virtue of their vocational choice and calling. These Christian business people believed that their institution was the leading institution to change the world. In their view neither government nor the church was as powerful an institution for world change and cure for the worlds needs. That was an interesting reflection for me. I oft sit in meeting similar of clergy and affirm that the church is the leading institution to meet the needs of the world. But I'm not sure that's the whole of the answer. While the church obviously holds greatest influence over the spiritual need of the world. There are multiple needs that business is much better suited for. Their machine is setup not only for action, but to generate further action. Business has a better edge at creating healthy water for the population of the earth than the church. They can produce the distilleries, maintenance, clean containers, and systems of distribution that are needed to make water available. Mr. Reinemund's assertion was that in the past Governments and Churches have had to come to business to get these things done. Now the business community is on the threshold of stepping forward to do it on their own.

He said the best and brightest coming out of schools are only looking to work for companies with a global conscience and sense of social responsibility. That's quite an interesting study of the up and coming generation.

It will be interesting to see what comes of the role of business in society in the years to come.

--Ben

A trip to NYC

Matt and I went up to Hoboken, a town in NJ just across the river from Manhattan. I realized on the way up as drizzle started to hit our windshield that I had forgotten my jacket. I was dressed so sharply that my wife commented on how good I looked. I did have an umbrella, so we parked in Hoboken and took the Path Train into Manhattan. We arrived right on time for a dinner appointment with my friend Marc. We ate at Blue Smoke a fantastic Barbecue restaurant. I highly recommend it.

After dinner we headed to the symposium. We caught a cab (a "Cash Cab" type minivan. It wasn't the cash cab though :-( ) I'll tell you about he symposium in my next post.

--Ben

NYC

Many of you know I have a friend, a banker, in the NYC area. He's invited me to a meeting today with Steve Reinemund. Steve is the President and CEO of Pepsico, and will be giving a speaking on the role of Business in Society. I'm looking forward to this trip to be challenged as to what the role of the church is in society. One of the contacts that Marc has set me up with is a woman who works with churches that minister to their communities through affordable housing, etc. I'm looking forward to meeting her and the discussion of her points of view.

All in all, I am really excited about this trip. I'll be gone most of the day, so I'll post again tomorrow to recap the trip.

--Ben

Thank You From Missionary Ariel Rainey

Always and Never

I was just thinking about something, thought I'd throw it out here. I reread the Valentine's card my wife gave me. She said that she had been pondering lately how she liked our marriage better now than when we were first married. What a blessing to me. We've been married for almost 6 years.

Then later today I was throwing a load of laundry in on my lunch hour, and I was thinking about the beginning of our marriage. I remember a quote that I told Corie. I said, "I never want to..." I was realizing that I had framed it as a good thing for her, but I had very selfish motives for it. Now I've learned that there are never always, nor are there always nevers. I've broken that very statement to her. She has reminded me of it several times over the years.

Anyway, it was on my mind so I thought I'd share it with you. If you're young, be careful about using always and never. It'll catch up with you sometimes.

--Ben

Praise God

I shared a while back that it had become harder for me to wear the hats of lead pastor and fund raiser-in-chief for SRC. But I have worked at managing my time and energies in a more effective way to do both. I set a goal for myself to raise supporters each quarter this year, but it is getting harder as more and more contacts have been made, and they've either decided not to support us or are already supporting us.

Today however, I just received a call from a pastor in our section who had told me that they couldn't support me. He said that the church's finances just weren't at a place where they could bring us on. I told him I'd pray for his church to grow so they could support us, and I have. Guess what? The board had $50.00 a month that they wanted to know how to give it away, and the pastor recommended our mission, they accepted and praise the Lord! They'll be starting their support in March.

I know many of you still faithfully pray for us. Please continue to pray for this area of our ministry. God is doing all things well. We trust Him for his mercies.

--Ben

Where's all the couth gone

Couth: (Noun) "Social Sophistication". [Encarta Dictionary]

Where has all the Couth gone in Glen Burnie? My Grandfather grew up in Glen Burnie for about 3/4 of a century. He built this city on his rugged good looks and evil twin. For real. They ran this town. The won an award at the Glen Burnie Carnival for cutest twins and sold competing newspapers on opposite corners of the 648 and rt. 3 crossroads. They switched places in the movie house and fooled people all the time because they were identical. They rode horses and shot dogs pretending to be cowboys. But they had couth. They knew how to dress, and had a sense of social decorum. For instance, "You don't fight on my property." This was a credo for my grandfather. He broke up several fights. He wasn't afraid even as an older man to assert himself in congenial conversation with anyone (even trees, if there was no one around to talk to).

But alas, here's what I've been steady thinking about. Where has couth gone in our beloved Gopher country? Wait staffs in restaurants, cashiers at Kmart, and The Walmart phenomenon are all contributing factors to my thoughts.

Sunset restaurant. I know I just gave a blow by blow of my visit there, but I get tired of poor service at restaurants. It's not just there. I once had a meeting at Bob Evans in GB and couldn't concentrate because the service and management were so poor.

At Kmart I was checking out and the cashier asked if I wanted a Sears account....What? I thought I misheard her. She said (with an obvious impediment) "Oh, I know, I just had my tongue ring put in. Sorry..." and then she asked me if I wanted a Sears account. Did you know Kmart is owned by Sears? Who cares. But WHO CARES THAT YOU HAVE A TONGUE RING? COUTH PEOPLE.

Finally, everywhere in America you can go to a place of sanctuary, a place of smiling faces...Walmart. The great American success story. Not in Glen Burnie. GB's Walmarts are the worst I've ever been in, and it's not because of the products it's because of a degeneration of couth.

Ideas for things to give up for Lent:
1. Self-focus
2. Social Ignorance
3. Tongue Rings
4. Ok, maybe complaining.

--Ben

This post is not about Britney.

Do you ever scratch your head about the media coverage in our country. We live in such "Celebreality". It's really sickening if you think that on DrudgeReport.com at one time there was more than six headlines in reference to Britney and Anna Nicole.

Come on people. Can't we get it together? Aren't there more important things that we need to spend our time viewing? The fact that they interrupted Anna Nicole coverage to break the Britney news just really was sad.

Sick of it.

--Ben

Ps. At least the weather's warmer.

Bass of Grace

I was talking with someone the other day lamenting our lack of bass guitar. I think bass is critical to really tuning our sound. The person I was talking to said that they would learn to play if I had a bass. So I thought I'd throw it out here in blogosphere. There might be someone who is interested in helping us expand our music ministry by providing a bass guitar and amp, new or used (we're not picky).

So if you're interested in giving us a bass that we can't earn or deserve, it would be our Bass of Grace.

--Ben

Fruity

Yesterday I walked into my favorite coffee shop Corky's Hard Bean Cafe' and I said to the girl at the counter, "Do you have any fruit?" She said, "What?"

"Do you have any fruit?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." she replied.

"Bananas, Oranges, Apples, these are fruits", I explained. "Do you have any?"

She said, "Well yes, we have Mandarin Oranges."

"Great!" I exclaimed. "I'll have one and a water."

"Well, they're not whole oranges they're segments."

"Ok, no problem."

"So you still want them?"

"Yes."

"Hold on." Then she ran to talk with her manager. She returned a few moments later with no oranges, and rang me up. I noticed that the cost was $.50 I thought that wasn't a bad price for an orange, but as I didn't see anything orange except the painted wall behind the counter...

"For here or to go?" she querried.

"For here."

Just then her manager, Corky himself, emerged from the kitchen. "So did you want them?" He asked.

"YES." I calmly replied chiseling a grin across my face.

"Oh ok, I'll just get that for you."

And within the next minute they brought me a coffee cup full of orange segments. I sat down with Matt and enjoyed the fruit of my labor.

--Ben

Hiccups

Hiccups can occur in babies even when they're in the womb. I'm not sure how that works, but I've seen it. Babies get hiccups a lot, and as a parent you are sad, because you can't help them stop. As a mature adult, I've learned that hiccups can easily be dealt with by taking 9 sips of liquid followed by holding my breath for over 20 seconds. It's a little respiratory reset.

Anyway, occasionally baby churches have hiccups. We can feel one coming. On March 25th the AACC campus is closed for spring break. It is one of three weeks annually that the campus is closed. This hiccup is not resettable, we can only deal with it and move on.

All SRCers will be receiving information over the next few weeks about the alternative plan for March 25th. We ask you to begin praying that together as a church we can confront this issue and emerge without a problem having stood together united. I really believe that instead of breaking momentum for us, it can serve to increase momentum if we'll work together on it. Thanks for praying and for watching for upcoming information.

--Ben

RDKs

We've been petitioned by the Campus Crusade for Christ International to participate in the purchase and distribution of Rapid Deployment Kits. These Kits are evangelistic gifts developed and distributed by the Military Ministry of CCfC, each is filled with a pocket-sized, camouflage-covered Bible, 90 day devotional, and an evangelistic booklet. The cost for the RDKs is a little over $3.00 a piece.

Severn River Church has decided to adopt this as a missions outreach, and is sponsoring over 200 of these books to be given to troops deployed to Iraq. As a church with multiple enlisted soldiers and sailors, employees of the DOD, and a Chaplain-to-be waiting for orders to Chaplain's school. We felt that this project was part of who we were. On Sunday we took the first of two special offerings for the RDK project. SRCers gave $235.00 to the project in the first week. And additional $25.00 was received from someone outside of SRC who heard about the project.

I want to encourage every SRCer to pray, and ask God what, if anything, He would like them to give to this project above their tithe. At SRC we value missions. The chance of pursuing our mission around the world is a part of who we are. I think this is a great step in missions for us.

--Ben

I've Been Delivered

Last week I mentioned to the Operations Team of SRC that I was so sick of MySpace because of all the trashy ads that they used. Someone asked what I meant, because her MySpace had never been trashy. I explained that 90% + of the ad space was made up of girls inviting me to dating websites. She responded that she never had that problem, and that her ads were always for Louis Veton (sp?) purses. We decided that I should change my profile instead of "male" I clicked "female". Guess What? IT WORKED. The advertising is now from like Univ. of Pheonix to get my degree in nursing. If you've been having the same problem I have, I recommend you switch too.

--Ben

For all viewing audiences

Dear Reader:

I need your help. We're doing a series called, "When Pennies Pinch Back". We're looking for stimulating video for the message. Let me give you an example...

Remember when Bill Cosby had the conversation about money/budgeting with his son Theo on the Cosby Show? Those are the kinds of TV memories we're looking for. Can you help us think of others? Seinfeld, Friends, older, newer, movies, etc. Leave a comment to help us. It's an even bigger help if you have the episode on DVD. We'd carefully borrow it and get it back to you. Please let us know.

Thanks

--Ben

Tired of the Cold

I am so stinking tired of the Cold. Are you with me?

I hate feeling the chill even in heated rooms. My fingers are really chilly even as I peck away on my keyboard right now at Corky's.

I hate touching furniture and walls that are cold, even when the air in the room has been warmed. It is really getting in my head.

I'm tired of the Cold already. I need 50 degrees.

--Ben

New Books Coming In

They started arriving two days ago, and I think they have all come now. I'm of course referring to the new text books that need to be read by my next class in March. But between you and me, there are a couple personal picks mixed in as well. Spiritual Gifts, What Are Spiritual Gifts, and Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God are the texts for my upcoming class Theology of the Charismata (now doesn't that sound interesting?).

But while I had the free shipping option open, I added Understanding the difficult words of Jesus and Why Great Men Fall. These are personal picks that I wanted to pick up. The first is a study of Hebraic perspective in what Jesus said. The second came up in the pastor's growth group, and with the recent story of Ted Haggard, I wanted to read it. Honestly, I'm concerned about myself. I don't think of myself as a great man, but I do consider my self a man who can fall. I want to avoid that. Over the years I've had good accountability in different areas of my life, but recently not so much, so I want to rebuild that support around me.

So let the reading begin.

--Ben

Great Evening

Last night I took my wife out for a Valentine's Day dinner. We went to the swankest joint in Glen Burnie, that's right the Sunset Restaurant. Sweet...

The last few times that I ate at the Sunset I wasn't pleased with the service and quality of food, but last night was different. I guess it was because they were packed and hopping. I'm not sure how often they hop around there these days, but last night was a very enjoyable experience. We started with an appetizer of Cream of Crab soup, followed with salads, and crackers and Port Wine Cheese (a distinguishing feature of the Sunset). Then we had the main course, mine a seafood combo of crab cake, scallops and shrimp, and Corie's just shrimp. And we finished with a strawberry Shortcake, which unfortunately couldn't be finished, because we were so full. But in the shortcake was a lollipop that Sydney later benefited from. Great meal.

Corie and I exchanged cards and one of us watered up, but I'll let you guess who that was...

I hope you're valentine's day was a good experience. I got the feeling this year that people are celebrating it more toward the weekend this year. Interesting phenomenon if it's true. Anyone else celebrating closer to the weekend?

--Ben

A Helpful Reminder

Today is Valentine's Day. So men, make sure you get by the store for a card at least. It will change your month. Trust me a card alone may not take you where you're trying to go, but nothing will take you some place you're not trying to go. SO...

Look, let's be realistic. This is a capitalistic society, and Hallmark has manipulated our feminized society into equally spaced days of "celebration" requiring cards. So here is my advice.

...Go to Dollar Tree. They have cards for a dollar or less. Don't Sell out to the Man!

--Ben

Ice Storm

Well, it seems like a while since we've had an ice storm like this. Over the last Day we've had a movement of Snow, Rain, Sleet and Freezing rain that has left things slick and cold. I'm not a big fan of the cold. But it got me thinking that SRCers should know that if there is inclement weather we'll be following the announcement of AACC. They announce on WBAL 1090 am, and at wbal.com. In addition, we'll do our best to have it posted on our website, however in the event of a power outage we may not have access to the net (which happened this morning earlier). But that's the best way to know about inclement weather.

--Ben

I read the words below at www.Amazinggracesunday.com. I recommended the movie "Amazing Grace" a couple weeks ago, in partnership with the movement to abolish slavery around the world we'll be singing this Hymn on Sunday at SRC. I invite you to look into the organization and see if there is a part that you should play.

"Two hundred years ago, British politician William Wilberforce and his band of loyal friends took on the most powerful forces of their day to end the slave trade. His mentor was John Newton, the slave-trader-turned-song-writer, who wrote the world’s most popular hymn, Amazing Grace.

This year is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. But the work of justice and mercy continues. 27 million men, women, and children are still enslaved around the globe.

How sweet the sound of freedom."

--Ben

KJV

The King James Version, is the oldest version of the Bible translated in 1611. Almost 400 years later, I was memorizing scripture in the words of an English Dialect that wasn't spoken in any other part of life but that of religion and Shakespearean Literature classes. I remember an Accapella Group AVB (Accapella Vocal Band) singing a song when I was about 12, with lyrics that were, "Growing Up in King James". I know of a church that has it printed on their sign, "1611 King James Version only."

I have long abandoned the KJV for the pleathora of other options. Generally I read the NIV, but also enjoy the CEV, The Message, and I'm sure there are others I just haven't gotten to yet. But I noted the evolution of my own life's study of the Bible when I ran into someone at Five Guys on Sunday night.

Corie had recommended dinner at Five Guys, and as we were eating, Pastor and Mrs. W. came into the restaurant. Pastor W. had been an influence on my life off and on for the better part of half my life. He was Pastor at the school I attended, preached in chapel (he had a magic lightbulb and flash paper which was cool), he taught me 6th grade math, took me out on his boat fishing one Saturday, and was even my boss for a summer.

I see him much less often these days, but seeing him makes many memories come back to me. Even memories of the KJV. I spoke with him Sunday night and told him about Corie being pregnant with our second child. I said, "Genesis 1, 'Be fruitful and multiply.'" I don't think he heard me, because he said a couple sentences later, "Genesis 1, 'Be fruitful and replenish the earth." That word Replenish caught my attention. It was a word from the KJV, and a word I don't read much these days.

I know you're learning that I'm a word person, so the word of the day is Replenish.

--Ben

Baby Dedication

Yesterday at SRC we dedicated Olivia Ann Gilt to the service of God. It was a great day. I was thrilled to do it. It is an exciting thing to see parents like Andy and Sarah want to give their child to the service of the Lord. The baby was adorable too. She started smiling at me as soon as she came up and that was special. She is my niece and I love her.

We had a number of guests yesterday from Pasadena Assembly. They are special friends and we were happy to host them. Thanks everyone who came.

--Ben

Sermon Open-Source

Hey check out the question on "Parenting Advice" in the Sermon Open-Source side of the site. Click on the link -->



Thanks for your help.

Ben

New Board Members

I meet monthly with our oversight board which is comprised of the Deacon board of PAG. When I selected them as the oversight of SRC I didn't think about that board changing. The board has lost a good friend of our ministry Larry Mullins. I have appreciated the way he caringly asks about the church and prays for us. I know he will continue to.

The board has added two new members, Nathan Foster and Walt Powis. These are two great additions. Nathan is a business owner, and has a perspective that no one on our board ever has. My job is to be a Churchprenuer; Nathan is an entrepreneur, and I believe has insights into my role in a unique way. Walt is a great addition because of his spirit. I believe that Walt has a genuine heart for the kingdom of God. And perspective from outside of PAG. Every church becomes accustomed to the way they do things. Walt has only recently come to PAG from another church and has the benefit of seeing the differences. I'm sure that will benefit SRC as well.

Welcome to the board guys. I appreciate your help.

--Ben

Snow Day

I find it hard to believe that the public schools in our county closed today. It just doesn't seem like that kind of snow event. But I'm sure they have their reasons....

I've decided to have a poll:

"What is the best thing about Snow days?"

Leave your comment below.

--Ben

small groups

We are getting ready to launch our Spring Semester of small groups. Your SG leader will be contacting you this week to nail down the details you need to know. We are starting them next week, the week of the 11th, so get ready.

We're excited about where the small groups are going. We have a goal to have 6 by June, and we've already got 5 going. I guess we're making good progress on that one.

--Ben

The Anti-Jack

Did you see it last night? The Anti-Jack made his appearance on 24. I'm not sure that I'm still understanding all of the implications. And I know that not everyone who reads this will have seen the show, so I don't want it discussed. But...

I have a confession to make. I'm not sure there is a bigger fan of 24 that has never seen a full season. Yes, I confess. I have never seen a full season. I picked up season 1 on an A&E special, but it was about 3 hours into the show. I have never seen the beginning. I haven't seen any of season 2 or 3 unless last season wasn't season 4 and then I haven't seen that one either. I only saw 3 hours of last season, enough to figure out the macro story kinda...

So there you have it. Fan, yes. Seen them, no. Disappointing I know, but I thought you should know the truth. We need to keep our communication lines open. Jack needs us. (BTW, I've seen every hour so far this season. My dad is going oldschool and giving me VHS copies off the TV. Thanks Dad)

--Ben

Growing a Church on the World Wide Web

I'm not sure our technologist, Drew, understood what we were looking for in a website. I heard comments from him in the beginning like, " I just want you to know that I've done that on other church websites and it doesn't work." I asked him, "Have you ever seen a church use web-based information the way we do?" His answer, "No".

Well, I think it's going places even I didn't expect. I had a 20 minute conversation with someone last week regarding my communion teaching and had people wanting a recording of yesterday's teaching for a married couple they know in Texas.

We have direct links for teaching notes and teachings on our home page, Click HERE. Or you can check in weekly for the teaching HERE.

--Ben

P.S. It was Super Bowl Sunday, give Drew a little time to get this week's up.

Weekend in Review

This weekend was another weekend that left me feeling good, and telling Matt this morning "I could get used to feeling this way." We have seen growth over the last few months, and it's fun to see God at work. We (Matt and I) often admit our inadequacy and confess our imperfection which is why it amazes us to see the work of God among us.

We had first time guests this weekend who joined with our regulars and even some guests that have returned for the last several weeks. It is nice to see the group grow and interact with each other.

I plan a teaching calendar at the end of each year for the next. This month was planned as Family Matters and it began with a teaching on Marriage. I had a bit of a struggle this week because there are some marriages in our church that are at different levels of difficulty, and I was concerned for each person that they would hear God's word, and not feel fingers pointed or a biased diatribe. I believe God helped me, and judging from the response of many yesterday, God's word came through. Thank you, Jesus.

Looking forward to a great week.

--Ben

Communion Help

Someone asked a question related to the teaching from Sunday. You can listen to it by clicking HERE. I mentioned that there were only two passages that dealt with the Lord's Supper. By doing so I lumped the gospel accounts together because they are alike (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, John 13). In the teaching I focused on only one passage (1 Corinthians 11). The reason is because the latter passage is specifically related to instructions on how to observe the communion. But so that you can all study the whole picture, you should study all of those passages.

Remember, It doesn't matter what I think, what you think or what we think. It only matters what God's word says.

--Ben

Word-Up

Words are increasingly important to me. I know that separates me from a majority of the population, but I find it remarkable that we can articulate. Of all the creatures on the planet, none are so able to articulate as humans. I believe it is an integral part of community with God. He created mankind in His image and intended to communicate with them through words. Words spoken in the garden, words written in His book...

The written word is powerful, which is why I feel I'm in training every time I post on this thing. It is sharpening the power between the mind of one (me) to another (you). And I treasure the opportunity to write words that can make us feel in new ways, understand new things or record for our memory details that will whisk us back to a place and time that has become clouded in our synapses.

And there are quiet words, private words, words you only write or say in safe places. And while this is an open place, an authentic place, a transparent place it is not safe for all my words. So I keep a journal. I'm not a great journaler. I don't intend on publishing my memoirs. They are for me. They are a companion that communicate between the self I am and the self I was. I gave up my journal when I began to write on this page, but recent events have filled me with words that are quiet words, secret words that I entrust to the pages that only speak back to me the words I put on them. I'll share some with you, "But alas I'm driven back to you. Your leather bindings form the barrier for my eyes only. And I have found that there are secrets that must be entrusted to you and few others. The type of secrets that are not mine only, and will not be secrets forever. Few of our secrets ever are."

Do you Journal? Do you write you out your thoughts? I have found it to be a good place of prayer and meditation. A spiritual discipline to cry out to God, and mark the work He is doing.

2000th hit

Well, today we turned a milestone. We passed the 2000 mark on the counter. Over 200 views of this page to catch up on the happenings of SRC and the random thoughts of its lead pastor. Thanks for sticking with me, and for reading, thinking, commenting, and praying.

--Ben

Prayer

"The great things happen to hose who pray, and we learn to pray best in suffering." --Peter Wust

Great Quote

In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped, to deal with a world that no longer exists. –Eric Hoffer

Pastor's Growth Group

Hey, today I'm in Ellicott City participating in the Pastor's Growth Group. I posted about it last month. It is a monthly meeting produced by our Section, in order to facilitate ongoing leadership growth.

The group is led by Gary Butler. He has been leading the group for over a year, and I'm glad to get to be a part of it.

I'm back at the laptop table again, and the comments have begun about how other churches don't have "e-people".

To all my e-people, good day!

Ben